[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/skimming/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [S](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/s/) / skimming

# skimming

verb form (skim, skims, skimmed, skimming); noun (skimming)

«skimming» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Skimming means reading something quickly to get the main idea, without reading every word. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#m1)
2. Skimming means removing something from the top of a liquid, like cream from milk or leaves from a pond. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#m2)
3. Skimming means moving quickly just above or across a surface: a bird skimming the water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#m3)
4. Skimming stones is throwing flat stones so they bounce across water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#m4)
5. (crime) Skimming is secretly copying bank card details with a hidden device, or secretly taking small amounts of money. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#m5)

### In the lessons

Reading lessons: skimming (for the main idea) and scanning (for one fact) are two quick-reading skills. Cooking: skimming fat off soup. Outdoors: skimming stones on a lake (in the USA often called «skipping stones»). Safety: card skimming devices can be hidden on cash machines, so grown-ups cover the keypad and check the slot.

### Examples

- I am skimming the article to see what it is about. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#x1)
- Skimming is useful before you answer questions on a text. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#x2)
- Grandma was skimming the cream off the milk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#x3)
- Swallows were skimming low over the river. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#x4)
- We spent the afternoon skimming stones at the beach. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#x5)
- My stone skimmed five times! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#x6)
- Police warned shoppers about card skimming at cash machines. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#x7)
- They were now so high, that a large ship beneath them looked like a white sea-gull skimming the waves. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/#x8)

### Note

Spelling: skim doubles the m: skimmed, skimming. «Skimmed milk» (UK) = «skim milk» (US), milk with most fat removed. Skimming is not the same as scanning: skim = main idea, scan = find one detail.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «skimming» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/skimming/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«skimming» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/skimming.html) on Mova free.